In the Matter of Joshua T.J. Russo, CFTC Docket No. 13-04. On October 26, 2012, the CFTC announced it obtained an administrative order requiring Joshua Russo to pay restitution of $960,000, a civil monetary penalty of $645,000, and barring him from engaging in any commodity-related activity. Without admitting or denying the allegations, Russo consented to the order finding that he fraudulently solicited a customer by telling the customer that he would be a general partner in a fictitious commodity pool. Russo issued false statements in the form of fake audited financial statements and weekly spreadsheets that claimed to represent customer account values. The reported values were grossly over-inflated. In addition, Russo engaged in numerous unauthorized trades. Russo has also been charged with fraud in a related criminal action.